Okay so me and Tammi wanted a kind of– Montagey bit in our short film… And we figured that Royalty Free background melodies didnt quite cut it. We know any copyright material has to have obtained permission.
So check this out 
We messaged the band Lillix on myspace to use their version of the song “What I Like About You.”
You know the one used on Freaky Friday?
Ohh yes 
Here is my Primary Research regarding my A2 Media Coursework.
I have chosen to do a short film, as apposed to a teaser trailer or a music video
Media Evaluation
Zombie films are a sub genre of horror and, as such, have their own set of conventions. We were interested in producing this type of film as there has been a recent resurgence of popularity in the genre. Films such as 28 Days later and I Am Legend have taken Romero’s zombies and reinvigorated the form. We were interested in developing this idea further.
Zombies are renowned for craving human flesh, and most of the time to be smeared in gore from previous killings and wounds. Like many other films, we portray the Zombies as not being too cunning or intelligent, just to have a constant need to feed. We do this by having the killers easily distracted by certain noises or fresh meat. Although unlike Romero’s zombies- We have granted the zombies the ability of possessing more motor skills than just slowly stumbling around.
Our media product represents a small number of social groups within the introduction. We feature a group of teenagers in a revision session, who are intended to be shown as typical students studying up for an upcoming exam. We show this by dressing them in casual clothes and outfits that are more likely to be worn by a younger generation and teens, although not typical ‘yob’ teenagers as we wanted it to be clear that they were students aiming for education and not drinking on street corners. This relates very closely to real teenagers as when danger is approaching the students seem lost and are taken off guard by the 2 killings they witnessed and think of nothing better to do than to flee from danger. I think that this is realistic as, unlike many films, they were not over come with an unbelievable amount of courage and bravery. Once again we are challenging conventions by banishing in-human bravery from the film. We kept reactions realistic and relatable.
We also featured 2 adults or teachers that were minding the revision session. The film has not given them much chance to prove themselves as the responsible influences they stereotyping demands. The 2 characters were also represented as clueless and therefore their actions were quite similar to the students. Also showing to challenge conventions as the audience will most likely be expecting them to take charge.
Although the zombies were also teenagers, they no longer possessed the mind and characteristics of a student- there for they were forced to be shown as mindless, blood hungry killers. We used white contact lenses to differentiate the infected and undead from the still living. We also made sure, dependant on their death and situation- that they had a relevant helping of blood and gore.
If this were a real full film, we would want for it to be either directed or produced by the Writer and Producer of Dead Set, Charles Brooker. Granted that Dead Set isn’t a film, it is a short TV series, but it has a lot of similarities to our film such as the same type of plot; a group of people confined to a certain space, fighting for survival. . This feature is also aimed at the younger audience, and probably the majority who watch Big Brother, of which Dead Set is in relation to. Seeing as Dead Set was a big part of our research and inspiration, its Zombies are quite similar to the ones we have featuring. Charles Brooker made it clear he wanted a lot of violent action and gore within his film and using this made it that more realistic and watchable for the audience. Another option for director would be Paul W.S Anderson. He the first of the Resident Evil Trilogy and wrote all of them. They are good story lines and the special effects on the Zombies and monsters are very convincing. As well as the fact we based a lot of our research on the Resident Evil films (and in some minor cases that were not listed- The games).
We are aiming our film at an audience that’s ages from around 15 to 30 years old. This is because with our film featuring in a school and college and the main characters being College students, probably later in the film proven able to outwit their opponents which may also be slightly inspirational in a metaphorical sense to viewers closer the their age. As well the fact that horror and gore more than likely will appeal more to the younger audiences than the older.
Although we expect people under 18 to view this film, we would set the age certificate to an 18 as it will feature a realistic amount of gore and violence. We decided this age limit as we want to have a convincing number of reactions which may include violence and gore as the zombies are being killed off. Within the verisimilitude of the film, we want the students and other characters to react as naturally as possible to the situations in front of them. This probably meaning that a decent and realistic amount of gore would probably be needed.
By using actors/characters of a similar age group to our audience in a familiar setting (in this case- A school/college) our chosen audience is instantly drawn to the film as they can easily relate to the film. Another method we used was to master certain qualities within the Horror genre. We tried to make sure that the shots were not too long and the mood was quick to change as not to bore our audience and keep there attention focused on the characters and happening in our film. We also gave the film a snappy title so the our target audience could absorb it and remember it quickly and easily, then the audiences will perform the 2 step flow method and tell people about it. Having a long and complicated title would not only kill the mood and atmosphere of the film, it would also confuse the audience and it wouldn’t be remembered as well.
I have learnt numerous things from filming our introduction about the technologies and construction of a film.
I have learned how framing a shot correctly can have a massive impact on the effect and atmosphere that it gives to the audience on viewing this film. Also having the correct shot type to accompany the camera and its framing. For example we used a hand held camera for the bits where the first zombie we see is running down the darkened corridors. It adds a panicked and mysterious feel to the entire section, hopefully leading the viewer into confusion, anxious to continue watching to find out more.
I have also learned that Continuity is important. We struggled with this with a few issues related to makeup and outfits as we could not film the entire thing in one evening. Being faced with this problem we were forced to rely on photos that had been taken the previous week of filming to try and master our makeup to a state of which the viewers would not notice a difference.
Choosing a correct scene and surrounding is an important factor also. We needed to choose one that corresponded with the actors and resources we had. In which case we chose the school- meaning that we had all the students, teachers, classrooms and other school like surroundings we needed. This also meaning that whatever plot we decided to go with relating to the school, we knew we had sufficient characters and relevant surroundings.
Also, to achieve a perfectly silent shot as we did in many of our first shots, we had to mute the shot completely as although there was no actual speech or noise caught on the camera, there was white noise and a echoes of the slightest movement. We merely depended on background music and suspense to guide viewers through the silent shots.
Looking back at my Preliminary Task- I have learnt a number of things. Firstly I have learnt that any acting and preparing has to be done quickly and efficiently when you are facing the battle of daylight and the times. I have also learnt that while preparation must be done without dawdling, it also requires a great deal of care and concentration- as to not make mistakes such as continuity or spotting that things in the background of the scene just don’t seem to make sense. I have learned that stories and planning must be altered if there are certain factors that cannot be avoided while filming (hence the after school revision session and not just a regular class). I have also learned that choosing background music carefully and timing it just right can have a massive impact on the effect and tension it builds within the film. Before we started our task and filming- I hadn’t really noticed a lot of background music in films that I watch. Now I notice it a lot more, as well as the shots that are used. In a way this task has made me more aware of the ways and methods in which things are filmed and captured.
Ok so here’s my planning. Instead of using Comic Life we decided to use story boards on paper and scan them in. This way we could feature more detail that we wanted to include.
Anyway- Here they are ( all nine of them ¬__¬ )
Admittedly the ones towards the end aren’t coloured but the colour isnt an essential and time was becoming a factor <3
Just click on eachone to make it bigger 
)
Ok so… This is nothing to do with Media what-so-ever. Im just killing time.
Saturday morning.. or afternoon…..
PJ’s.
Probably need a bit of a life
Y’know how these things work..
But its a Saturday morning and Im sick of watching bloody– Saturday Kitchen with Mum… ¬_¬
Of course they werent my original intentions… But there was nothing else on and so it was left to her. Gay.
Why does everything look so revolting on there??
” Chop the Camel Splene finely and add some blended zest from a cucumber…. Mmmmm Lovely! Next- Take your roast maceral and baby teeth out of the pan- And just sprinkle with a hint of parsely “
Okay okay- So its slightly exagerated but when Im sat here watching everything there smearing all over the plates, and being as picky and bland as I am- then thats basicly more or less of what it says to me.
Plus the fact that Im crackers at putting people off their food
Matt can surely back me up on this
Sorry Mattheew <3 lmao
What even is parsley anyeway? Just bits of leaves from a bush in the garden- Like amateur herbs- Sickk.
Hahaha– I love how confused parents get when they try and understand what Im doing…
“Who you writin’ to?“
“No one…”
“What you typing away for then?“
“Im writing a blog thing“
“A what?“
Lmao- Classic.
Aaaand Archie’s just now circling the room doing his whole Daily Song.. Where he just whines and sings while brushing up against all the furniture and everyones legs..
One of my DOGS by the way… Im not talking about a sibling or anything like that.
Still- I cant say I’d be that freaked out to see Joe doing something similar..
Soft. Cuddly. Huge. And Gay.
(Y) ) then you can breathe a sigh of relief that its now over… Yehhhh…. So it turns out I’ve neglected WordPress ever so slightly over the past week or so… Not wrote on it… not even checked it.
Once again Im ment to be doing a Psychology essay thats already a week over due…
Rebel.
*Rolls eyes * Riiiiiight…
¬_¬
Yehh… Soo…
I spose Media was all good last week… It was a bit crackers actually… Well- I liked it.. :]
We had to film our story board thingie-muh-bobbies on a Police Interveiw… I just hogged the camera and bossed people about…
To the people in my group [inlcuding Mister Mitchell]: Sorry
Yehh shuddup Tammi- doesnt mean you can go milking it in one of your regular blog comments
<3
Love you really Pooby! ^_^
Anyways yeh-
We filmed the entire thing and editted it on um….
Whats-ih-mah-jig.. On the mac books…
Hell yeh.. Marvel Girl is my Mac Book now..
Gracie Gee owns that one..
Sorry Im rambling..
Our video didnt take much editing, of course it would have had a smoother and more make sense ending if Fletcher hadn’t o’ walked into the room while we were filming one of the shots..
Gay.
But yeh… I love doing stuff like that.. Filming and stuff. Its insaaane.
If I wasnt so keen to dedicate my life to Art (geeeeeek ) I’d probably say I wanted to be a film director. I love filming and stuff.
Oh yeah!
Then we had that Quiz thing… I think I did ok on that… I hope..
Mind you- I thought I did well on my previouse Psychology essay and she gave me an E!
I was like WTF?! Denied!…
So yeah… I think this one deserves to be over due for ‘crushing my confidence‘
Sorry. Rambling again.
Im gon’ leave this here- Before it gets a good 19 miles long..
xXx
We looked at the opening credits of Coronation Street about 19 times and took notes on that.
So thats another update…
And then I think a few lessons we went outside with the cameras and had to film a scenario that included a series of shots. Haha- It was just all about Chris getting beat up by Tom lmao!
Aswell as that- I did one of those Volunteer Lessons for Media period 5 of today to help all the other year 11 students.
When in actual fact me and Tammi didnt really do much help..
Just ended up distracting Fletcher. Writing messages on her board about her hair colour Ginnerrrrrrr. Dont get annoyed Flether- your blonde at the minute!
Then we um…. Oh!! Marked some year 10’s essays.. I got to mark Keegans lmao
So yeh- In any case I probably ruined his work by writing little notes all over the printed out version of it and all that… But yehhhhhh never mind.
He loves it.
Oh yeah then we discussed teachers Sex Appeal and Social Appeal.
Then broke Fletcher’s folder.. Sorryyyyyyyyy
Oh and then I made fun of this year 11’s tattoo on his arm.. That was annoyingly his own name.. How terribly and annoyingly gay is that?
I swear it said KULE though! No way on this Earth did that say Kyle!
But yehh… I suppose thats it. Oh yeah sorry for sort of rambling again..
xXx
Ok so- I started writing all of this and got about half way through and then the bloody internet crashed and decided to go all gay on me and die.
Denied.
I should probably be doing my Psychology essay that should have been in today considering how I can easi do this at home but no. I choose this over my Psychology, cuz Psychology sucks several things. Besides which- I cant exacctly do clay work for Art in the LRC can I?
So yeh- Im rambling.
Media.
So we’ve been doing lots of stuff since last time.. We’ve been watching Life On Mars- Which isn’t as interesting as previouse stuff we’v watched but hey- gets the job done… Plu since watching it I’ve always got the song Life On Mars by David Bowiw in my head. So’s Tom. He loves it <3
Were also meant to be watching Doctor Who next- Aaaaace… (N)
Oh yeh- Fletcher… If you havent got MSN and arent a big fan of smileys.. the N in brackets means a thumbs down. If you didnt already know that it just proves the fact that you are a loser
What elsE have we been doing in Media? Ummmmm
We watched the 2nd Ep of Shameless.. Although I really cant remember much of that… No joke. Im seriouse.
Then the Cassie ep on Skins- Haha… And know I cant have a bowl of coco pops without swearing ;D
I’ve also found that although I sit and draw abusive speech bubbles coming from the pictures on all the sheets that were given- I still learn things really easily in Media and I really dont know why. But yeah.. Im not complaining.
God this mouse sucks!! It goes really slow and gets stuck all the time! So then you have to beat it against the desk for it to work again for 3 seconds then it cuts out.
Denied.
I cant really say that Roscars is off to a speeding start since last time but yeh- Its getting there
Im actually out of writing ideas but if I think of anything else we’v done in Media it looks like I’ll have to post a new un dunt it?
So.. Thats it for now.
Im out
xXx
